What do you guys use to sharpen your knives?

Ethan_Hardy said:
I have a belt sander with 100 grit belts to start off then take it to 220 then med strop compound (white) on a stropman strop then fine (green).
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100 and 220 for sharpening?

Your not sharpening, your making steel dust.



Also, white compound is generally finer then green.

But jumping from 220 to a strop is a huge jump.



Some advice is best taken with a grain of salt.




Big Mike
 
The grit progression I have found is: Coarse to fine = Black, white, green, (red, pink, brown). These are in solid bar type compounds. YMMV

Blessings,

Omar
 
There are a lot of ways to razor sharp edges. There is also a different definitions of razor sharp. My advice is too read. Read about edge geometry (convex vs classic V vs micro bevel, the pros and cons of different angles, different kind of primary grinds) , steel, sharpening concepts, stropping etc. For me I use one of two ways to get a scary sharp edge.
1. Whestones-huge learning curve and will need practice to master, better for convex edges or ones your don't care if they are not 100% even
2. Wicked edge system- less of a learning curve, much more consistent for beginners

The wicked edge is probably more expensive but good hq whetstones are cheap.

The best sharpening system is one that is tailored to the individuals expectations, and uses for their edges. To make such a decision you should read more about sharpening concepts. These will help you develop y our skills and also give your the insight to make a good decision on a pricey sharpening system whatever it may be. It's an investment either way.

It took me years to learn how to sharpen. A few years ago I found this forum and only read for a year or more. Then finally became a member. I don't know why I waited so long or why I didn't find this community sooner! My point is that with this wealth of information and resources or could learn how to sharpen in half the time it took me to master it haha. If your not much of a reader then check out YouTube. My biggest warning with this suggestion is that not everyone that makes a video about sharpening knows anything about it!

Good luck!
 
Striderco said:
Skip all the gadgets and spend a few bucks and have a master thats been sharpening probably longer than you ve been alive attend to your steel! Richard J is a magical wizard that puts a scary sharp edge on just about anything with his paper wheels! If you send him knives and arent happy with the outcome I will personally refund your money!! Im not affiliated with Richard j's Sharpening service just become a pal of his after having him work his magic on lots of my steel!!
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Are his edges that good? Wouldn't mind an Edge Pro in the the future (longing to be a while at best), but sending them out now an then sounds a ton cheeper. Though if he's been doing this longer than almost 24 years, I'm sure he's top notch. Got any pictures of his edges? You've gotten me curious now.
 
here are some links for you to check out. you can also do a search. i might have a bad day every now and then and not get one as sharp as it can be but in cases like that i ususlly have the person send the knife back along with a couple others that i'll do for free to make up for it.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/861580-Professional-knife-sharpening
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9207988&postcount=710
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...e-always-done-for-free-Knife-Sharpening/page5 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/960269-Knife-from-Richard-J
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=651061
 
zdp 189 is proving to be an academy for free hand sharpening. i finally worked out free-handing at 10 degrees per side. i use an ordinary carborundum stone for re-profiling from factory factory edge. i discovered that carborundum can cut zdp 189 aggressively. made a mistake the first time and cut too deeply on one side. movement is not the usual sweep from choil to tip, but short side-to-side movements for a given segment of the blade. this gives a more consistent angle. from carborundum i use either fine grit sandpaper or fine water stone. finish up with a glass slab and treated strop.

none of my s30v and vg-10 blades can out-cut zdp, i realize it now. but zdp is the devil to sharpen.
 
richard j said:
here are some links for you to check out. you can also do a search. i might have a bad day every now and then and not get one as sharp as it can be but in cases like that i ususlly have the person send the knife back along with a couple others that i'll do for free to make up for it.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/861580-Professional-knife-sharpening
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9207988&postcount=710
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...e-always-done-for-free-Knife-Sharpening/page5 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/960269-Knife-from-Richard-J
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=651061
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Thanks. Those are some great looking edges and wow the responses. I'll probably be sending you some stuff in the future. :)
 
Very nice. I didn't know that you did full customs as well. Though now that I've read the little portion below your name on here...
 
The sharpmaker is a good system but has its limitations. I personally set my bevels on the wicked edge, and do light touch ups freehand. The wicked edge is am expensive system, but absolutely worth it if you've got the cash to spend. There's nothing wrong with good old fashioned freehand either, freehand used to be my method of choice, and I can achieve spectacular results, but the wicked edge is just more consistent. Perfectly even mirror polished hair whittling edges every single time...hard to argue with that for performance.
 
I like the belt sander. I've been using one for 20 years so I'm a little biased but I've tried stones and just can't seem to keep the angle the same for long periods. Belts from 80grit to 3000 then leather belts, I had to use edge master leather, the other from Lee valley didn't hold up as long, then leather strops. Works for me!
 
I've had pretty good luck with the lansky system, as long as you don't mind being restricted to their angle choices.
 
For decades I used the various ceramic sticks and I had dull knives.

Then I found the video by jdavis882 on how to get good results from a sharpmaker. For the first time in my life, I was producing sharp edges on my knives. I was so excited by this and saw that the sharpmaker had some limitations, so I got an Edge Pro. My results have been spectacular, at least by my standards. But now I'm taking it back to basics. Carl (jackknife) showed me how to use a coffee cup and an old piece of leather to get results that are very close to the Edge Pro. I haven't gotten to the point where I have polished edges freehand, but they cut great. Which is pretty much the whole point of a knife :)

There must be a million ways to sharpen a knife.
 
I just use a stone, my knives are sharpened on the stone and with my machetes I bring the stone to the edge. I ll use a accusharp v grinder for fast touch ups.
 
Van Damage said:
I just use a stone, my knives are sharpened on the stone and with my machetes I bring the stone to the edge. I ll use a accusharp v grinder for fast touch ups.
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Re the quote in bold, you may have to change your name to Knife Damage. Those things will chew up your blade pretty fast. You might use it on your machetes for a quick down and dirty, but be careful on your knives. It will eat good blade material away and shorten the life of them. Feel along the edge after using it and feel how rough it is.
Of course it is your knives, and you have the last say in what you use. Just my opinion and is offered free of charge and condemnation.

Blessings,

Omar
 
The accusharp doesnt get used often, I use a stone to get them sharp, but the grinder gets a working edge on my knives when im camping. Is there another less "damaging" way of putting an edge on a knife fast? I know it will shorten the life if used excessively but that goes for all methods of sharpening.
 
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